SALFORD MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGNERS TAKE PROTEST TO MANCHESTER ! Star date: 14th October 2012 SALFORD USUC JOINS MANCHESTER USERS TO FIGHT CUTS Yesterday, campaigners fighting mental health cuts in Salford joined the Manchester Users Network to have a joint demonstration and march in Manchester City centre. Here, Phil Hamer discovers that the United Service Users […]

SALFORD MENTAL HEALTH PROTESTS AT LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE Star date: 27th September 2012 PROTESTS AT WEEKEND LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE AGAINST LABOUR PARTY COUNCILS CUTTING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Labour Party Conference Protest Sunday 30th September 2:30-3:30pm Outside Manchester International Conference Centre (GMEX) A demonstration will take place outside the Labour Party conference this weekend to highlight […]

In July 2011 the Developer Urban Splash applied for Listed Building Consent to demolish the Grade II listed building known as the Ardwick & Ancoats Dispensary situated on Old Mill Street Ancoats Manchester. The Dispensary is the only Grade II listed building remaining in the area following the closure of Ancoats Hospital in 1989 followed by it’s demolition. In June 2012 of this year a decision was made by the Manchester City Council Planning Department to approve the demolition subject to the signing of a S106 agreement in relation to the re-use of the agreed heritage elements of the Listed Building in any future development of the site and referral of the application to the Secretary of State. However after having managed to obtain deferment of this decision on at least two occasions members of Ancoats Residents Forum felt so strongly about saving this important building, they decided to challenge the Planning Department’s decision and form a campaign group to raise awareness not only within the local community of Ancoats but throughout the whole of Manchester about why this Grade II listed building should remain protected.

The meeting of ‘Fight 2 Save Ancoats Dispensary’ kicks into gear with everyone in a full room introducing themselves in turn. Last up we have Gillian:

I’m Gillian. I’m the campaign secretary. And I’m quite annoyed. This raises a smile; everyone here is more than annoyed. The room is filled with people of all ages and backgrounds who are very angry. Angry and passionate about preserving the Grade II listed building in East Manchester. Ardwick and Ancoats Dispensary, once a beautiful redbrick Gothic temple to public health but now facing demolition. Manchester city council’s planning and highways committee has signed what councillors believe will be the Dispensary’s death warrant.

Our Aims: About Us

To support users and ex-users of psychiatric services in the Manchester area. The organisation provides a forum for services users to have a bona fide say in planning and provision of mental health services.

Protesters in King’s Lynn fight against mental health service cuts

Protesters took to the streets of King’s Lynn to voice their anger at what they described as “continuous” cutbacks to mental health services in west Norfolk.

Mental health cuts protest

A protest march against cuts to mental health services and the Fermoy Unit at the QEH took place in King's Lynn town centre. Picture: Matthew Usher.

More than 100 campaigners marched from The Walks through the town centre before finishing outside the Majestic Cinema.

Peter Smith, former parliamentary candidate for south-west Norfolk said: “We are in the fight of our lives here.”

The protest was triggered by the Fermoy Unit, an in-patient NHS facility in Lynn for mental health, which campaigners say faces an uncertain future. The unit was briefly closed to new admissions earlier this month, but reopened last week, albeit with fewer beds.

Mr Smith said: “In my lifetime we have never had to fight like this, but what is the alternative?”

But Debbie White, director of operations for Norfolk at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said there were now no plans to axe the Fermoy Unit.

She added: “It is right that mental health services should be valued and funded on the same level as acute health services, and it is understandable people feel passionate about the Fermoy Unit remaining open.”

Labour party activist Jo Rust insisted the issue would not disappear. She said: “They have been talking about closing it for a long time. We will fight and we will not let them do that.”

Beth Anthony, 18 of Dersingham, said: “We are here to protest against the continuous cuts to the mental health service, we think it’s unacceptable. My younger brother suffers from poor mental health and has to travel to London... That is to the detriment of my family because we have to pay for him to go down by train every single month.”